Dinner with Death
by Proud to be Plug
Summary: Nico's Christmas was going well. Too well. It isn't long before his peace is disturbed. The life of a son of Hades is never a quiet one. Two-shot.
1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

**Welcome to my first Percy Jackson fic! Originally when I had this idea, it was going to be a one-shot, but as I wrote I found it was more of a two-shot. So here's part one. Nico is sixteen, and the Giant War is over, Percy's home safe. Please review. Any constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks for reading!**

****EDIT (04/11/11): This is not an update, just a minor edit.****

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. All my fanfic writings are non-profit. Tis all for fun. **

Dinner with Death: Part One

Nico's Christmas was going well.

That should have been the first warning sign.

Usually Nico spent his Christmas at Camp Half-Blood - even he didn't like being alone on Christmas - but this year he was spending it at the Jacksons' house with Percy, Sally, Paul and, of course, Annabeth.

Percy had invited Nico over for the day. Mind you, "invited" probably wouldn't be the term Nico would use. "Blackmailed" would probably be more accurate. Percy had visited Nico in the Hades cabin on Christmas Eve specially to "invite" him.

"You have to come," Percy had said, "You can't sit around camp all Christmas."

"Firstly, I don't _have_ to come anywhere," Nico had muttered grumpily from where he was sprawled on his bed, "And I'm sure your mom won't want some moody "emo" kid hanging around her apartment on Christmas. And also-"

"That's not true and you know it," Percy had interrupted, "You know my mom really likes you, it's like having another kid to her-"

"Oh yeah, that makes me want to come all the more," Nico had mumbled.

"And we'll open presents and have cake," Percy had ploughed on, "and Annabeth'll be there, and…and," he had started to falter under Nico's death glare, "It'll be great!" he had finished somewhat lamely.

"No, not coming," Nico had declared with utmost finality, "And don't think I don't know you're only doing this 'cause Annabeth put you up to it."

Nico had turned on the bed, and put his back to Percy. There was silence for a few minutes. Nico could almost hear the gears whirring like mad in his cousin's head as he tried to come up with some new way of convincing Nico.

Finally, Percy had spoken. "Right," he had said, in that serious tone that spelled danger to all who opposed him. He had got up from his perch on the bed opposite Nico's, "I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but here we go," he had dropped on his hunkers next to Nico's bed and spoken in an ominous whisper, "If you don't come, I'll flood your cabin."

Nico had turned over and sat bolt upright. He had looked at Percy as if he had threatened to murder him brutally.

"You wouldn't," he had said in a small voice.

"Well, I'd rather not, but if you insist on being sooo stubborn," Percy had replied, trying and failing to look menacing, "I don't really have much of a choice."

You see, Nico was deathly (no pun intended) afraid of water. He didn't even like taking baths. And his cabin was his sanctuary, the one place he felt comfortable. So the idea of a flooded cabin was, to him, worse than a trip to the Underworld.

"Fine," Nico had muttered, very quietly, and he had slumped back onto the bed.

"What was that?" Percy had asked, grinning.

"I said, fine. I'll come. Now get out of my cabin."

Percy had grinned to himself. "See you tomorrow. And if you could come in through the front door?"

"Don't bet on it," Nico had grumbled, "And wipe that smirk off your face," he had said without turning around.

"I wasn't smirking!" Percy had exclaimed, before bolting from the cabin before Nico remembered he could summon undead warriors and torturers.

And so Nico came. He did in fact knock on the front door, rather than shadow-travelling directly into the apartment, but only because he liked Percy's mom, and tried to be respectful to her. She was one of the few adults who was truly kind to him, and he looked at her as a mother figure. Not that he'd ever admit it.

Despite his original reluctance, Nico was actually quite enjoying himself. When he arrived with a few presents which he had bought in a panic the day before, he was greeted with much enthusiasm by Sally and Percy, Annabeth not having arrived yet and Paul not yet up.

Once everyone was assembled in the sitting room the present swapping began.

Nico hadn't been planning on buying Christmas presents, so the ones he got were not exactly high class. Still no-one minded, everyone was in a good mood and the holiday spirit was in the air as they sat down to watch Christmas movies. Well, it was really only Paul and Nico watching, since Sally was cooking the mighty Christmas dinner, and Percy and Annabeth were…busy, in another room.

Everything was going too well, Nico thought in passing. How right he was.

"So, Nico," said Paul, trying to make conversation, "You're a son of the Big Three, yeah?"

"Yep," said Nico. It was a bit awkward between them, as Paul was fairly new to the whole demigod thing still, and Nico wasn't exactly the best at talking to people he didn't really know. Unless they were dead, of course. Still, if he was spending Christmas here, he may as well try.

"I'm a son of…" Nico trailed off, wary of invoking his father's name.

"Hades?" supplied Paul, looking at Nico quizzically.

"Uh, yeah," said Nico, "Though I try not to say the name too much. Names-"

"Have power, yeah, I know, sorry," said Paul, "Percy and Sally told me, but sometimes I just forget."

"Sure," said Nico, "It tends not to have as much effect when mortals say the names, anyway."

Paul stiffened slightly at the mention of "mortals". Oops, thought Nico, another epic fail at tact.

"So what's that like?" asked Paul, a little stiffly, "I mean, I know Percy gets attacked a lot, but most of the monsters come from the Underworld, don't they? So they must keep away from you more."

"A bit, yeah," said Nico, "A lot of the smaller monsters keep away from me, 'cause they're kinda scared."

At this Paul looked puzzled. "Scared?' he said, 'Scared of what?"

Nico shifted around, feeling a little uncomfortable. "Well, scared of me."

Paul shot Nico a weird look, and said, "Well, no offence, but why would they be scared of you?"

Nico considered saying something like "Cos I'm an awesome monster-slayer, man!", but decided to tell Paul the truth: "Well, I can kind of send them down to Tartarus."

"Ah," said Paul. He was silent for a while, obviously pondering this.

"Still, though, I do get a lot of weird stuff happening to me," said Nico suddenly.

"Really? Like what?" asked Paul, now looking a little more wary of the monster-banishing son of death.

"Well, I get a lot of ghosts paying me visits, wanting help to the Underworld. And I'm sort of known as the king of ghosts so…"

"Sorry? The _king_ of ghosts?" exclaimed Paul incredulously.

"Yep," replied Nico, "And it's not a joke, either. I get all sorts of Underworldly visits. And I'm not talkin' Mafia!"

Silence reigned for another while before Paul spoke again. "And these visitors, how do they tend to arrive?"

Nico seemed surprised by this question. "They usually come by shadow-travel, which involves-"

"Bending shadows?" interrupted Paul.

At this, Nico turned to stare at Paul in disbelief. "How did you know that?"

In answer, Paul pointed towards the shadowy corner behind Nico. He turned to look, and saw the shadows contorting in a way that he recognised as typical for shadow-travel.

"Oh no," groaned Nico, "I knew things were going too well. Who could this be?"

He watched as the shadows contorted and formed into a shape. The shape slowly gained solid form, and stepped out. It was…it was…

"It's a lawyer!" cried Paul, astonished.

"No, it's not," muttered Nico darkly, "It's Alecto."

The bland-faced figure stepped forward and spoke. "Greetings, King of Ghosts, Son of the Lord of-"

"Yeah, yeah," Nico broke in, "Skip the pleasantries. What do you want?"

"It is not a matter of what I want, Mr. di Angelo," replied the Fury smoothly, "I serve the Lord of Death and-"

Nico jumped to his feet suddenly and stepped towards the Underworld creature. "Fine!" he said, rather loudly, "What does my _father_ want?"

Alecto reached into the shadows. The darkness started to contort again.

Nico glanced back at Paul. He looked a little stunned, but didn't seem to be scared, which was good. Nico didn't want to be dealing with a frantic mortal now.

The shadows stopped fluctuating, and from them Alecto pulled a sheet of paper. Nico could see the top of the page bore his father's symbol.

He groaned. "Not another one of his memos."

The Kindly One straightened the paper out with a flourish, and began to read in the style of a town crier.

"The Lord and King of the Under-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up." objected Paul suddenly.

Nico turned around again to look at him, now more than slightly irritated.

"_What?_" he snapped.

"Let me just get this straight," Paul said, "You just said "memos," yes?"

Now Nico was really flummoxed. "Uh, yeah."

"Ok," said Paul, "So are you saying the _God_ of the _Dead_ communicates by_ memos?_"

Nico had to laugh at that. "Yeah, he does. Why, what did you expect? Enchanted scrolls of parchment? Skeletal carrier pigeons? Telegrams?"

Paul shrugged. "I don't know. It's just… whoever thought the Greek Gods would be so…modern!"

Nico chuckled. "Yeah, I know, pretty weird, huh?"

He turned back to the messenger Fury. "So! You were saying?"

Alecto cleared her throat. "The Lord and God of the Underworld presents his greetings and-"

"Nico? What's going on?"

The prince of death turned to see Sally standing by Paul, with a plate of mince pies in her hands and a look of mild surprise on her face.

"Oh well, um, Mrs Jackson, um, this is," he paused, wondering how to explain the presence of a spirit of vengeance in Sally Jackson's living room. On _Christmas_.

"Alecto." Paul told her. Nico glared at him. Great. Just great. Now all he needed was for Sally to remember Alecto was the infamous Mrs Dodds' real name and -

"Alecto? You mean…" Sally paused, realisation dawning, "You're Mrs Dodds! You attacked Percy!"

- he was screwed. It would take Zeus himself to stop the rant of a protective mother. Nico slumped back onto the sofa. He knew it was gonna be a while before he got his message.

_About ten minutes later._

"- any idea how much you scared him? He didn't even tell me for ages! And who-"

Sally had been going non-stop for some time now, and she was getting louder. Alecto just stood there completely impassive. After all she _was_ there to deliver a message, and she _was_ the unceasing Fury, and thus the most patient one. Nico hated burnt food, but he was praying that something would start to burn in the kitchen. It seemed the only way Sally could be distracted.

But then: "Mom? What's going on? I heard you shout- ARGH! Mrs Dodds!"

Nico had never been so happy to see his cousin. He looked a little dishevelled, but he was, mercifully, fully clothed.

"Percy! There you are! This _monster_ just appeared here a few minutes ago! I was just giving her a piece of my mind! Who do she think-"

Percy looked even more astonished than usual. "Appeared? But why? What's -" his gaze fell on Nico, "Nico? What's going on?"

Sally paused, seeming to remember Nico. "Well, yes! Nico, what on earth is going on here?"

Nico stood up again. "Thought you'd never ask," he said testily, "Alecto is here to deliver me a message, so if you could all be quiet, she'll give me the memo, and be on her way."

Sally blinked. "Oh. Right. Well. Why didn't you say so before?" And with that, she bustled back to the kitchen.

Nico heaved a sigh of relief. "_Right_. Now, Alecto, please?"

"Thank you, Mr. di Angelo. Now, this is your message," the Fury held the paper out in front of herself again.

"The Lord and God of the Underworld presents his greetings and good wishes to all present. He requests -"

"Percy? What's wrong? Is there a monster? Who's that?" It was Annabeth, also dishevelled.

Being the smart one, she immediately focussed on Nico. "Nico! What's happening?"

Nico snapped.

"IN THE NAME OF ALL THE GODS!" he roared, "WILL EVERYONE JUST _STOP INTERRUPTING!"_

Dead silence.

"_Thank you_," muttered Nico, "Now, Alecto?"

"The Lord and God of -"

"You can skip that bit."

The spirit sniffed irritably. "He requests the presence of his son at a Christmas banquet, in the Grand Feasting Chamber of the God of the Underworld. And," she reached into the shadows for a second time, "I was instructed to give you these," she pulled a set of dark robes out from the shadowy corner and handed them to Nico.

"You are to wear those robes to the banquet. Be at the Chamber by six o'clock this evening. That is all."

And with that, Alecto stepped back into the shadows and disappeared.

~P~

**Don't forget to review! Part Two up in a few days.**


	2. Part 2

**Author's Note:**

**Well; here is the second half of my debut Percy Jackson fanfic. Funny, really, when I first had the idea for this fic, it was going to be a little +1k one shot. Then it grew to a 5k two-shot! That's writing for you! Thanks to the people who favourited and story/author alerted. A special thank you to those who reviewed. I was surprised at the good reception this fic got, considering it is only my second fanfic ever! Also, a note to those who followed the story but didn't review: if you would spare a moment to review the story that would be great, as it would help me improve my writing, which means better stories for you!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or FarmVille. All my fanfic writings are non-profit. Tis all for fun.**

Dinner with Death: Part Two

Nico threw himself back onto the couch with a groan. He stared into space for a few moments, seeming to be contemplating his fate, before breaking his silence with a profound remark.

"I'm going to be a flower by the end of the day."

Paul and Percy looked at each other, bewildered. Percy said what was on both their minds.

"Er… What?"

Nico sat forward on the couch and put his head in his hands. "Persephone," he said, "She hates me. She turned me into a flower before, and she'll probably do it again today. _What_ is my father thinking?"

He looked at the robes Alecto had given him. They were pitch black, with ornate silver embroidery around the sleeve edges and hems, and an elaborate picture of Hades' helm of darkness stitched on the front. They were full-length, with a hood and long, narrow pockets from the hip down on both sides.

"Nice gear, Nico!" exclaimed Percy with a laugh, though he was promptly silenced by an extremely dark look from Nico.

"Don't, Percy," he said, "This is not funny at _all_. For a start, I won't be able to have Christmas dinner with you and your family."

Percy's face fell. "Oh. Right," he said glumly, "Well, maybe-"

"Stop!" Nico declared, holding up a hand.

"I'm not finished," he said, now standing and starting to pace around in the way he always did when he felt seriously trapped. "Not just that. As well as missing out on a wonderful Sally Jackson Christmas dinner, I am going to have to spend the evening in the company of my glory-mad father, who also happens to be the Lord of _Death_, my insanely jealous stepmother, who takes great joy in trying to start a fight with me, and my cereal-obsessed aunt, who will no doubt spend the whole of the dinner trying to convince me to take up _farming_!"

Nico paused dramatically. "And _then_, in the hugely unlikely event I get through the dinner without being incinerated, turned into a daffodil or forced to eat cereal, I will almost definitely have to perform some horrendous death-related duty for my father, probably involving capturing some poor ghost who won't come to the Underworld!"

He took a breath, before finishing his tirade. "In the words of the great psychiatrist, Frasier Crane: '_Abe Lincoln_ had brighter prospects, when he picked up his tickets, for the box office!'"

With that, he flung himself back onto the couch, and was silent.

For a while all that could be heard was the sizzle and clatter of food being cooked and dishes being prepared in the kitchen. Percy, Annabeth and Paul gave each other sidelong looks, wondering who would dare break the silence.

Finally, Paul spoke. "Um, I have one question." He paused, waiting for Nico to snap back. Nico said nothing, however, so Paul continued. "Hades is a Greek God, right? So why would he be celebrating Christmas?"

Naturally, Annabeth was the one to answer. "Well, probably because Christmas has become such a huge part of Western Civilisation, and the Gods are tied to the West, so that which is of the West is celebrated by those tied to the West. I suppose you could say Christmas here is transcending religion. Mind you, I've never heard of the Gods holding Christmas banquets!"

"Ah yeah, that's my dad, always cutting edge," Nico muttered sarcastically.

Silence claimed the living room again for a while, no-one sure what to say. Luckily, Sally chose that moment to come back in.

"Is that thing gone? Honestly, the nerve of that creature, just waltzing in here, like - Nico? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost! More than usual, I mean."

Nico raised his glum gaze to meet Sally's eyes.

"It's the message. From my father." he muttered.

"Oh?" said Sally, waiting for the rest.

Nico paused, before speaking again in the voice of the damned. "He has 'requested my presence' at a big Christmas banquet down in the Underworld."

"Ah. I see," said Sally, clearly disappointed. She thought for a moment, then suddenly brightened. "You said he _requested_ you, though."

Nico looked at her, puzzled. "Yeah?"

"Well then, just tell him no!" Sally exclaimed cheerfully. "Or if you want to to be formal, say you are disinclined to acquiesce to his request."

Nico gave Percy a look that clearly said, "What?"

"It's her writing seminar," Percy explained, "Ever since she's been going to it she's been talking like that."

"Oh," nodded Nico, understanding. "Well, Mrs Jackson, as much as I wish I could do that, the last time I did that with Hades I was sent to organising tortures in the Fields of Punishment for a week." Nico shuddered. "My father doesn't take no for an answer. Just look at how he kidnapped Persephone!"

Sally nodded, downcast. "Alright," she said, "It seems there's no getting past it. Well, what time do you have to be there?"

"Six o'clock," replied Nico, glancing at the clock, "And it's five now, so I'd better get ready."

"Right," said Sally, "Here, I'll give you some food to bring down as a house, err, palace-warming gift."

"No, really, it's fine, you don't need to," Nico started to say, but she was already gone back into the kitchen.

Nico glanced over at Percy and Annabeth. "Better get dressed," he said, smiling ruefully. "Use your room?" he asked Percy.

"Sure," replied Percy, and Nico went off to be-robe.

A few minutes later, he emerged.

"Looking good, Nico!" jibed Annabeth lightly. Nico scowled.

"What are those pockets for?" asked Percy curiously.

"They are for carrying weapons," replied Nico. He reached into one of the pockets and withdrew his Stygian iron sword from what seemed like nowhere. "The pockets are enchanted," he explained, "I put my sword and it seems to disappear, but when I need it again, it's there."

"Handy," said Percy, impressed.

Sally reappeared with several Tupperware boxes, full with food. "Here you go, Nico. It's not much, but - Dear Lord! You like the Grim Reaper in that!"

Nico smiled grimly, and put away his sword. "They're the royal robes of the Underworld," he said, "Must be worn to all Underworldly special occasions. Anyway, thanks a lot for all this stuff, Mrs Jackson, you really shouldn't have."

"Oh, it's no problem, Nico, and for the hundredth time, you can call me Sally."

Nico nodded, then took the boxes from her. He tentatively placed one in his empty pocket, then withdrew it again.

"Well," he said, "It seems the enchantment works for all objects," and he proceeded to put all the plastic tubs in the pocket.

"Right!" he exclaimed, "I'd best be off." He went to shake Sally's hand, but she pulled him into a hug. "Uh, thanks again, Mrs Jack- Sally. Sorry about this."

"Oh, it's not your fault, Nico," she said as they broke apart. "Just pop in again soon, won't you?"

"Sure," Nico nodded, before turning to shake Paul's hand. "Nice to talk to you, Mr. Blofis," he said.

"You too," said Paul.

"Percy, Annabeth," the son of Hades said, "See you 'round."

Nico stepped towards the shadowy corner from which the accursed messenger had originally emerged, and with a final cry of "Bye, everybody!" he dove into the shadows.

~later~

Nico was anticipating many weird and not-very-wonderful things at this banquet: bones being used as cutlery, skulls being used as goblets, undead chefs, skeletal servers and roasted Stymphalian bird instead of chicken.

But the sight that greeted him when he walked into the Feasting Chamber was quite literally the last thing he would expect, even in his weirdest dreams.

Instead of a dark hall lit only by candles, Nico found himself in a brightly-lit shrine to all things Christmas-y.

There was Christmas trees all along the walls. Many, many wreaths of mistletoe were hanging upon the walls, and fairy lights were draped in abundance everywhere. Great shining baubles were hanging from the ceiling, and the table at the centre of the room was laden down with plates and plates of traditional Christmas food.

Nico couldn't believe his eyes.

Then, to complete the utter surrealness of the scene, his father came over to greet him, looking cheerful in a brightly coloured jumper and brown corduroy trousers. And a _Santa hat!_

"Merry Christmas, my son!" exclaimed Hades enthusiastically. He clapped Nico on the back and led him over to the table.

"Uh, hey, Dad," Nico stuttered, utterly bewildered. "You're looking…cheerful."

"Oh yes!" said Hades. "I thought I'd get into the spirit of the season. The mortals do seem to enjoy it so, and I can see why!"

They reached the table, at which both Persephone and Demeter were seated.

Nico bowed his head tentatively towards Persephone. "Greetings, Lady Persephone," he said carefully.

His stepmother acknowledged his greeting with a curt nod. She, too, was looking surprisingly cheerful, in a brightly coloured dress that kept shifting between hues. She had on her usual flowery headdress, which flickered between different flowers periodically.

Nico turned to Demeter, who looked as bemused as Nico felt. "And Lady Demeter," he said, a little more informally, as Demeter did not mind him as much in recent years.

"Greetings, nephew," she replied. The goddess of the harvest was wearing a simple golden-brown gown, with various agricultural pictures embroidered in dark brown thread.

"Here, my son," said Hades, seating Nico, "Sit next to your aunt."

Nico sat down as directed. His father sat across from him, and Persephone sat next to Hades.

Nico glanced down at the table. There was all sorts of Christmas food, identical to that which most people were eating at that time above ground. There was even Christmas crackers strewn on the table. It looked for all the world like a normal Christmas dinner. Nico relaxed slightly. Perhaps this won't be so bad after all, he thought.

"Let the feast begin!" Hades declared, proffering Nico a cracker to pull. He took hold, but as he did so he looked in his father's eye for the first time that evening, and noticed a decidedly manic glint in the god of death's eye.

And so they all began to eat. The gods at the table made small talk about Olympian matters, but Nico was quiet, considering that look he'd seen in his father's eyes. Something was definitely amiss, he decided.

Just as he came to that conclusion, Demeter offered him a hunk of bread.

"Here, try this," she said, "It's excellent."

Nico reached out to take the bread, but just as he touched the bread, there was a flash of blinding light, not in his vision, but in his mind.

Everything was white for a moment, and then his mind cleared. He found himself in what appeared to be a grazing field. There were a few cows at the far end of the field, and when he turned around he saw a certain goddess of agriculture looking at him closely.

Nico stepped back. "What's going on?" he gasped. "How did I get here?"

Demeter sighed in exasperation. "Oh, don't be alarmed." she said, "You haven't actually moved. This is just a dreamscape, where our two minds can talk unseen."

Nico frowned, none the wiser. "I don't understand."

Demeter rolled her eyes. "No, I suppose you don't. When you touched the bread, I was able to use it as a medium to link our two minds. We are currently communing mentally. My mind is hosting the interchange, so hence why we're in a grazing field."

"But, does that mean we're still at the banquet? But how do we look to the other two?"

"Physically, yes, we are still in the Underworld. To the others, everything will appear normal, as on this level of communication, information is exchanged at a far higher rate. In real time, this will only take a second."

Nico nodded. "Okay, so, you've linked our minds so we can have a chat. But why?"

Demeter examined her fingernails. "I sensed your confusion at your father's behaviour. So tell me, what do you think of the banquet?"

Nico shrugged. "Good, I guess. It is a bit weird seeing Father so cheerful, and the decor of the chamber is just crazy."

His aunt laughed. "Yes. Funny, how far the gods will go to satisfy their desires."

Nico frowned, puzzled yet again. "Desires? What are you talking about?"

"You noticed the maniacal glint in your father's eye, did you not?"

"Uh, yeah, I did."

"Well, you see, Hades is, how should I put this… in need of certain intimate relations from Persephone."

Nico shifted around, wondering where this was going. "Right," he said slowly.

"However," Demeter continued, "Persephone has been distinctly gloomy lately, and she has refused to sleep with Hades until he cheers her up."

"Ohhh," said Nico, starting to get the picture.

"And so, all this Christmas banquet nonsense is an attempt to cheer Persephone up, so that Hades can… satisfy his desires."

"Oh, now I get it," said Nico, "Annabeth did say she'd never heard of gods holding Christmas feasts." He paused. "One question, though," he said.

"What is it?"

"Well, Persephone hates me," Nico said thoughtfully, "So why would my father get me to come down here? Surely I would just lower his chances of…"

Demeter suddenly looked rather awkward. "Ah, yes. About that,"she said.

She paused for thought, then went on. "You know how much Persephone likes making flowers, do you not?"

Nico gulped, not liking where this was headed. "Yes…"

"And you know who her favourite target for flower transformation is?"

Nico turned pale, as the truth hit home. "You mean…"

"I'm afraid so," replied Demeter quietly.

Nico's shock melted into rage. "He made me come all the way down here, just so Persephone could have the chance to turn me into a flower? And he did all this just so he could get laid?"

"Now you got it," said Demeter cheerfully.

Nico stewed in his fury for a while, before Demeter spoke again.

"And I'm afraid the moment of your transformation is drawing near."

"How near?"

"As soon as we break the link."

Nico sat down heavily on the grassy pasture.

"This is unbelievable," he muttered, tearing up pieces of grass.

Demeter gave a pained look to the bits of grass being ripped up, before continuing. "However, I would be willing to transform you back to human form in a couple of hours, on one condition."

Nico looked up hopefully. "What condition?"

Demeter grinned. "You must swear on the River Styx that you will play FarmVille for a week, starting tomorrow."

Nico looked at her in disbelief. "FarmVille? You're not serious."

Demeter shrugged. "In days gone by I would have made you work on an actual farm, but that is not feasible now. Furthermore, whilst FarmVille is but a video game, it will provide you with some vague idea of the work involved with a real farm. So, you can spend a week as a flower, probably a daffodil, or spend a week playing FarmVille. It's your choice."

Nico huffed an almighty sigh. He sat in thought for a minute, and then suddenly glared at Demeter.

"Hey, wait a minute," he cried, jumping back to his feet, "The only reason you told me all this is because you wanted to force me into playing FarmVille! You aren't telling me out of the goodness of your heart!"

Demeter smiled sneakily. "Perhaps. So, what's it gonna be?"

Nico scowled. "Fine. I swear on the Styx."

Thunder rumbled in the distance, sealing the deal.

"Excellent!" Demeter said, "Now, let's break the connection."

There was another flash, and Nico was back at the table, taking the bread from Demeter. He gave her one last dirty look, and she smiled brightly in return.

And as Persephone raised her hand to magic him into a flower, Nico di Angelo had just one thought in his mind.

Worst. Christmas. Ever.

The End.


End file.
